


Rebellion

by Tah the Trickster (TahTheTrickster)



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-28
Updated: 2015-09-29
Packaged: 2018-04-23 20:46:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4891696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TahTheTrickster/pseuds/Tah%20the%20Trickster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Commission for tumblr user theivorytowercrumbles. AU in which Weiss attends Atlas’ academy instead of Beacon and enters the army after graduation, where she’s assigned as the bodyguard of a certain business partner of Ironwood’s…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Boarding school had, at the time, sounded like a dream come true. Any opportunity to get out from under her father’s strict and watchful eye had to be a good one. It hadn’t occurred to Weiss initially that his school of choice, Atlas’ Flare Academy, would be every bit as rigorous as her home life was. **  
**

Reveille, mess, formation, classes, mess, classes, study hall, mess, athletics, taps. Every single week, day in and day out. She had a bit of free time on weekends when she wasn’t studying, but it only served to make her crave independence that much more.

Nonetheless, she’d excelled in all her courses, and graduated as Salutatorian of her class at the age of 21. Her father was indifferent; she’d missed out on Valedictorian by seven-hundredth of a point on her GPA. That stung, but no more than her previous interactions with him ever had. She moved on easily by now. Besides, General Ironwood was impressed with her schooling—enough to grease a few palms to get her assigned to his company.

“We need more people who are serious about the military,” Weiss remembered him telling her at her graduation. “People who are honest and trustworthy; people who have the nations’ backs. I think you’re one of those people.”

* * *

Her first several months following graduation were spent at the garrison in Atlas, and Weiss was sure that even with her newfound independence, such as it was, she couldn’t be more bored.

With no active wars going on, her job consisted mostly of administrative duties—paperwork, phone calls, briefings, emails, endless meetings that  _should’ve_  been emails… It grated on her nerves more than anything—she hadn’t enlisted to be a secretary. They could at least have her go scrub out some beowolves or something. Pest control sounded more entertaining than another meeting reminding everyone that it was now protocol to include a cover sheet on their TPS reports.

Weiss was pretty sure that if she didn’t get something more interesting to handle soon, she was going to snap and start counting the carpet fibers in her office.

And then, miraculously, she was paged on her Scroll, asking her to report to Ironwood’s office—he had a new task for her.

She could’ve kissed the device.

Weiss made her way through the military compound as quickly as she could without skipping outright to his office. She paused outside his door to compose herself, and then rapped twice on the door.

“Come in,” Ironwood called.

Weiss eased the door open and approached the desk. “Sir, Lieutenant Schnee reports.” She saluted stiffly.

General Ironwood returned the salute, and then gestured her to one of the sleek leather chairs in front of his desk. She sat. Only then did she notice the other woman in the room.

She reminded Weiss something of a big cat. She half-reclined in the chair opposite her, all cool nonchalance, but there was an intimidating sort of edge to her. Weiss couldn’t quite nail down what it was, whether it was the glimmer in her golden eyes or the wicked smirk at her lips, but she had the distinct impression that this was a woman who’d eat her alive as soon as look at her.

A tremor darted down her spine, and Weiss didn’t care to determine what had caused it.

“This is Cinder Fall,” Ironwood introduced. “Ms. Fall, this is Second Lieutenant Weiss Schnee.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Weiss said politely, extending a hand.

Cinder’s yellow eyes flickered, and her smirk widened a hair. She took Weiss’ hand with a grip that left Weiss’ fingers stinging. “The pleasure’s all mine.” Her voice was smooth and velvety, laced with a dangerous sort of heat. Something about her was just… unsettling.

Ironwood’s deep baritone voice called Weiss’ attention again. “Ms. Fall,” he said, “is a new professional partner of mine in Atlesian Robotics.”

“As a shareholder,” Cinder spoke up cooly, unwavering gaze still trained on Weiss.

“As a shareholder,” Ironwood repeated with a nod. “She’s heavily invested in my research into military automatons, and is here on a business trip to see the results of our research.” Weiss inclined her head politely. “As you might imagine, it would behoove us to make sure she is well protected on her visit here. It would be quite the scandal for an investor of Atlesian Robotics to be attacked in one of the safest cities in Remnant.”

Weiss saw where he was going, and she wasn’t sure she liked it. “Yes sir,” she said nonetheless.

“We’ve already had one incident of a Paladin prototype going missing. I don’t want it to catch us off-guard later. So you’ll be in charge of keeping Ms. Fall safe for the next few weeks until she’s ready to go back to Vale.”

Dammit. Escort missions were nearly as annoying as pest control. “Yes sir.”

Weiss must’ve looked as unimpressed as she felt, because Ironwood was quick to reassure her that this was in fact a  _very_  serious task, which was why he was entrusting Cinder’s protection to her. “Only the best,” he said, smiling proudly at Weiss.

“Sir, may I ask a question?” Weiss asked. Ironwood dipped his head. “Is this effective immediately?”

“Effective today,” he said. “You’ll have enough time to get your own affairs in order, but at twenty-one-hundred hours you’ll be expected to join Ms. Fall at her hotel for the remainder of her stay. Understood?”

Weiss chewed the inside of her cheek in ire, but finally replied in turn: “Yes sir.”

Cinder’s smirk broadened.


	2. Chapter 2

The hotel was one of the more upscale ones in the city, not that Weiss expected any differently. Anyone who was able to get into the class of "heavy investor" with Atlesian Robotics had to have money to spare. Mechanics weren't cheap.

Weiss eyed the glass automatic doors of the hotel lobby, considering how fast they could open in the event of an emergency evacuation. Probably not very. There were a handful of large, overstuffed chairs in the lobby, though—if it _really_ came down to it, she could probably hurl one _through_ the glass to get Ms. Fall out... But she'd prefer not to.

She spoke briefly to the tired-looking clerk at the counter regarding other potential exits—he seemed unwilling to cooperate until she dropped the names of her clients—and then began methodically checking for potential threat hiding places. Behind plants, under tables, hidden in chairs. Anywhere a bomb might be placed, or a person might be hiding. It took nearly twenty minutes before Weiss determined that the lobby was clear.

She sighed softly and entered the elevator, jabbing the penthouse button with her thumb on the way. She'd have to repeat the same ritual when she got to Ms. Fall's room.

* * *

Her charge was evidently expecting her, as she answered the door scant seconds after Weiss knocked. Weiss doffed her cap and greeted her politely: "Ms. Fall."

Cinder's lips curled into that enigmatic smirk again. "Just Cinder is fine, Lieutenant Schnee."

"Cinder, then. May I come in?" she asked. Cinder moved to the side to allow Weiss and her duffel in. "How long have you been in this room?"

"Just today." Cinder eased the door shut behind her and locked it. Good; Cinder was conscious of security too. Maybe this mission would be a tolerable one after all. Weiss moved to begin ensuring the suite's security. "The room's already been secured," Cinder spoke up. "Ironwood had some of his new Knights check it himself."

Weiss turned to look at her. Cinder had yet to drop that smug little look of hers. Perhaps she knew something Weiss didn't. "Regardless," Weiss said, "it's my job. I'll check behind them, if you don't mind."

"Committed to your work, hm? I can appreciate that. Go ahead. My room's the one on the far left. You can pick one of the others for yourself." With that, she disappeared into the suite's kitchen.

Weiss hesitated for a moment, and then took her bag to the room nearest Cinder's. It made the most tactical sense, she reasoned with herself. In case of a midnight emergency she'd need to be close to Cinder to get her out of harm's way.

Her uniform tie felt too tight. She loosened it and set to work going over the suite.

"Care for a drink, Lieutenant?" Cinder called from the kitchen.

Weiss' response was immediate: "I can't drink on the job." She was almost scandalized that Cinder would even ask.

Cinder's low, amused chuckle only barely reached Weiss' ears. "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, Lieutenant."

Weiss snorted. She'd had a colleague or two from Flare tell her the same thing during her schooling. "All play and no work makes Jack a mere toy, Cinder," she completed the proverb.

Cinder's second laugh rang through the air, the husky warmth drawing Weiss' attention from the room. Cinder leaned against the doorway, a lowball glass in her hand. "Sensible and witty," she said, eyes glittering with mirth. "I like that. But surely you don't mean to tell me that you're _always_ on the job?"

"I'm not," Weiss said, running her hands over the top shelf of the closet. "But I am right now."

"So tell me, Lieutenant, how do you spend your free time?"

"I don't have much in the way of free time."

"But you do have some?"

Weiss shrugged. Being in the army didn't give her tons of leave, she repeated; most of her free time was spent working out or reading. Occasionally she went out to the bar with some of her coworkers, but that was once a month at most.

Cinder hummed in response. She pushed off from the doorway and stalked into the room. "Not really the exciting life you pictured from being in the army, huh?" she teased, brushing a strand of black hair back behind her ear.

Weiss dragged her eyes away from her charge, kneeling to check beneath the bed. "I didn't join the army for the excitement," she said flatly.

Cinder's gaze stayed leveled on her. She took a contemplative sip from her glass. "So what does motivate a girl like you to join the army, hm?"

Kind of a personal question, Weiss thought, but she supposed it couldn't hurt to answer. They'd be in very close quarters for a few days, after all. "I presume you know who my father is?"

"Alabaster Schnee." Cinder sat on the edge of Weiss' bed, crossing her mostly-bare legs, and rolled the ice around in her glass, considering. "Right? There aren't many Schnees in Atlas."

Weiss felt her face go warm despite herself. "I—right." She cursed her stammer and forced her gaze up to meet Cinder's eyes. She needed to get herself together. Ogling one's charge while securing her location was without a doubt _frowned upon_ to say the least. She couldn't tell if Cinder had noticed or not. "I... well. I needed some independence from him."

A dark brow lifted. "You went to the _army_ for independence?" A low chuckle rumbled in Cinder's breast: "You must really like rules."

"I don't," Weiss said dryly; "the army was more lax than Drill Sergeant Schnee."

Cinder laughed again, a devastatingly melodic sound that Weiss was already starting to long for. She held her glass down to Weiss' eye level. "So live a little," she insisted, dropping her voice to an easygoing purr. "Take a sip, Lieutenant. It won't kill you."

Weiss lifted a hand hesitantly, keeping her eyes on Cinder's. "I really don't need to drink on the job," she repeated her earlier stance.

"One sip won't hurt, will it?"

Weiss wavered. She took the glass. "...Thanks," she said, taking a sip. It was a drink she recognized: her father had gifted her a bottle for her twenty-first birthday. Vacuoan brand Airship Premium Select Whiskey. Aged 15 years. Some of the highest-quality whiskey available anywhere. Very good. Very expensive. She cleared her throat as the smoky drink went down. "You have expensive tastes," Weiss told Cinder, handing it back.

"I prefer to think of them as refined tastes," Cinder quipped. "You're the one who figured what it cost by taking a sip."

Weiss snorted and rose to her feet. She dusted off the knees of her uniform. "Only because I've had it before. It was my birthday present this year."

"Oh? From whom?"

"My father."

Cinder raised her brows. "No special someone out there for you, Lieutenant?"

Weiss cleared her throat and went to check the adjacent bathroom, hoping that Cinder didn't see the blush that crept into her face at the pointed question. "No," she said. "Not a lot of women in my battalion, and even fewer who'd be interested."

Cinder gave a sympathetic noise from just behind her. "Isn't that always the way? Being single can be such a hassle." Weiss looked over her shoulder; Cinder had moved, silent, from the bed to the bathroom doorway. That was impressive. Weiss was hard to sneak up on.

Then her words finally registered properly. Weiss coughed subtly into a fist. "You're, uh...?" She wasn't sure what she was trying to ask.

Cinder smirked gently and put her glass down on the bathroom counter. "Single? Yes." She leaned on the doorway and folded her arms under her breasts. "Gay? No. Close. Bisexual."

A bead of sweat slipped down Weiss' collar. Her face felt uncomfortably warm. She loosened her tie further. "Oh uh... right. That's..." She coughed again. "Right."

Weiss wasn't sure which one of them closed the space between them, but suddenly Cinder's lips were against hers and then she couldn't find it in herself to care. Cinder's fingers tangled into her hair at the base of her neck, tugging insistently, and Weiss groaned at the sting.

Cinder trailed heated wet kisses along Weiss' cheek back to her ear, leaving a smudge of lipstick in her wake. "Well, Lieutenant," she murmured against Weiss' ear. "Maybe we can help each other out."

There was no romance involved, not that either of them seemed to mind—the scratched-up backs and bite-marked thighs were testament to that. Weiss felt sure she was going to wake up with a limp for the first time since basic training. Cinder, for her part, was too scratched up to lift her arms above shoulder-height.

The pair had no sooner settled into a panting, tangled mass than Weiss realized how absolutely mortifying this was. This was the type of thing that teenagers in Basic fell for, not trained soldiers in their first year of active service. This was unbelievable. What kind of professional was she, that she instantly forgot her duties as soon as a pretty girl flashed her a little skin? She cursed mentally, unable to turn over to meet Cinder's gaze.

"This shouldn't have happened," Weiss muttered, abashed.

Cinder chuckled and began tracing slow circles on the small of Weiss' back. "Nobody has to know," she said smoothly. "I'm sure a girl like you can keep a secret, hm?"

Weiss _could_ , but that wasn't the problem. "I suppose..."

Cinder rolled over entirely and brushed a kiss against Weiss' neck, drawing out a low groan from her. "Besides," she continued, breath blowing gently against her sweat-slick skin, "it's kind of fun to break the rules. Don't you think?"

Weiss wasn't sure what to think. She muttered a halfhearted "I guess" anyway.

Cinder's lips brushed against her shoulder and she lazily draped an arm about Weiss' waist. "Go to sleep, Lieutenant," she purred. "We can break more rules when you wake up." The promise in Cinder's voice made Weiss shudder.

She slept.


	3. Chapter 3

When she woke later that night, Weiss was so disoriented that she couldn't immediately place what stirred her. She reached out for Cinder, intending to pull her bedmate back closer to her, but found the bed empty. That woke her up.

Weiss eased out of bed, eyes straining against the darkness. When she was finally able to make out shapes in the dark, she groped around the floor for her uniform jacket to throw on against the cold and edged silently towards the door.

It was entirely possible—even likely, the more Weiss thought about it—that Cinder had simply woken up at some point in the night and retreated to her own bedroom. That stung Weiss' pride a bit, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She peered into Cinder's bedroom to verify that but—empty.

Now she was on alert.

Weiss cursed her own ineptitude as she crept through the suite. She should've secured the damn apartment. Now Cinder's status was possibly compromised and she had no idea who might be lying in wait for her to lower her guard.

She drew the seven-inch Bayonet knife from her inner jacket. Just in case.

The silent soldier slipped into the main living room, treading on the edges of the floorboards to keep them from creaking. Icy blue eyes slowly surveyed the room, half-expecting someone to leap out at her. Her grip on the blade tightened.

Her slow stride about the room turned up empty. She mentally marked the room secure and continued to creep about the edge of the room towards the other two bedrooms in the suite. There—the sound of a man's voice in the first bedroom, just low enough that she couldn't quite make out what he was saying.

Weiss shifted the knife to a saber forward grip and inched towards the bedroom door.

"—still working out the controls," was the man's voice again, now jittery with technological interference. "They're saying it could be anywhere from a few days or weeks before it's ready for any real use."

"Just get it done," came Cinder's voice, sharp with ire. "I want that Paladin figured out as soon as possible and ready for replication."

_Paladin?_

Weiss inched closer to the doorway. Cinder was sitting on a couch facing away from her, dressed in a hotel bathrobe with a tablet Scroll balanced on her knee. Weiss' breath caught—there was the missing Paladin prototype, right there on Cinder's screen. _What—?_

"Working as fast as we can here," said that nasally male voice again. Weiss' eyes widened a fraction. She knew that face; he was all over the news as of late. Torchwick. "Just make sure to keep Ironwood's crooked nose out of our business."

Cinder chuckled, and for once it sounded sinister. "Don't you worry about James," she said. "Money talks, and he's all ears."

That was all Weiss needed to hear. She beat a slow, calculated retreat back to her own bedroom.

As soon as she'd closed her door back, Weiss scrambled to find her trousers to grab her own Scroll. Ironwood needed to know about this—it might be a matter of national security. She'd seen what those Paladins could do firsthand.

She'd just opened her contacts list when her thoughts finally caught up with her actions. Weiss paused and took a deep breath.

_Okay: try to figure out what's going on._ Cinder Fall was in contact with Torchwick, and Torchwick had access to the missing Paladin. Torchwick was also wanted for several counts of burglary and robbery. That alone was probably reason enough to call the general for most of Weiss' cohorts, but having grown up in the Schnee household, Weiss wasn't so naive as to think that associating with criminals made one a criminal. If that was the case, Alabaster Schnee would've been put in jail a long time ago.

_So what gives?_ she wondered, thumb hovering over Ironwood's name. Surely there had to be a reason. Perhaps Cinder had gotten ahold of a prototype as thanks for her heavy investments, and some poor intern had incorrectly documented what prototype she'd get? It wouldn't be the first time that an Atlesian Robotics intern had fucked something up. Or maybe she was more than just an investor, and she was supposed to have a Paladin prototype, and Ironwood just wasn't allowed to say why. Maybe it was classified.

Maybe it wasn't any of her business, the thought came suddenly.

It was just a prototype; those things barely worked properly anyway. Most Atlesian Robotics prototypes were built just to get an estimate on size and functionality; they had perhaps one gun at most on them. Even if Torchwick _had_ stolen the Paladin, how much trouble could he realistically get into with it? It was just a prototype. Even if they were going to make copies of it, the _real_ Atlesian Paladins were refined to the point that they could take down a prototype with ease.

Weiss closed her Scroll back up and set it on the bedside table. An illicit thrill raced through her at the thought of such a small rebellion. Maybe Cinder was right.

Maybe breaking the rules _was_ fun sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you're interested in commissioning me for other words, [click here!](http://tahthetrickster.tumblr.com/post/129669233769/writing-commissions-open)


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